


I won't let you go

by fangirl530



Series: Lazytown short (or not so short) stories born from prompts or weird ideas [2]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: No Beta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25884235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl530/pseuds/fangirl530
Summary: Robbie overhears something- that something makes him want to leave Lazytown, /Forever!/ Stephanie is not okay with that, and it’s up to her to fix it.
Relationships: Robbie Rotten & The Kids, Stephanie Meanswell & Robbie Rotten
Series: Lazytown short (or not so short) stories born from prompts or weird ideas [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1858129
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	I won't let you go

**Author's Note:**

> This is supposed to be a songfic- but the lyrics are not in the story. they’re really specific, and they seemed too out of place, so I based the story on them and just left them out. the song is right here if you want to listen to it :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_fMHuZY3co

Robbie walked toward Stephanie’s house, his heart racing as it always did when he did this. He was intending to slip two bottles of pink hair dye into her mailbox. He’d calculated- it took about a month for her roots to start showing, so he got the bottles to her a week before that. Secretly of course- he still had a reputation to uphold! That meant it was very important that he didn’t get caught.

So when the front door to the house opened, he panicked. Leaving the mailbox open, he dropped the bottles and dove into a nearby bush. He huddled there, holding his breath and praying they hadn’t noticed him.

“He’s just so annoying!” Stephanie was saying, to… someone. He wasn’t going to peek out of the leaves to see who, and risk being caught. 

“I know we can’t force him to leave, but I can’t stand it! He’s just so rotten and horrible!” Robbie’s heart clenched. There was no question who she was talking about- Rotten was his last name, for crying out loud! Stephanie continued, unaware of the effect her words had on him. “I just wish he would /go away!/” she stomped by the bush, and he flinched. 

When she and her companion- probably one of the other kids- were gone, he stood and stumbled for his lair. The bottles of hair dye lay on the ground behind him, forgotten. 

He hadn’t realized Stephanie hated him so much. For reasons he didn’t understand, the knowledge that she did hurt. It hurt /badly./ His eyes watered, and he swiped at them angrily. 

“Fine then,” he said. “If they don’t want me around, then I won’t stay here. They’re not worthy of my genius plots anyway.” this was just an excuse, and he knew it. But he couldn’t stand to be around them, knowing the smiles were all fake. It was better to leave. Swiping at his eyes once more, he picked up the pace, filled with a new determination. He’d grab the essentials from his lair, and be gone before nightfall. 

-

/A few minutes earlier/

“Stephanie ,” Sportacus chided gently. “You can’t blame the squirrel because you forgot to close your window.” Stephanie kicked at the ground, her arms crossed and a grumpy expression on her face.

“I know,” she grumbled. “But it’s still annoying! He tore into my clothes! Why would he even do that?” 

“Maybe they smelled like the outdoors,” he suggested. “Or he just wanted somewhere to sleep, and the drawer was open.” 

Stephanie stopped suddenly as a thought occurred to her. “Did I close the window before we left?” she asked, looking up at him, alarm on her face. Sportacus stopped too. 

“I don’t know,” he admitted. He turned, jogging back from where they came. “We should probably check,” he called over his shoulder. 

Stephanie followed him at a sprint. She did not want that squirrel to get into anything else- like her diary! At this thought, she ran faster and overtook Sportacus. She ran down the street, skidding to a halt out front. She sighed in relief as Sportacus joined her. 

“It’s closed,” she informed him, pointing to the window. Sportacus smiled.

“Well that’s a relief,” he said. “Try to remember in the future to keep it closed, okay?” he laughed lightly. “Don’t want anymore squirrels getting in.” Stephanie giggled, shaking her head.

“No, we don’t.” she started to leave, but something bright pink caught her eye. Curious, she crouched and picked up a couple of bottles from the ground. Sportacus watched her, concerned. 

“What are they?” he asked. Stephanie smiled, holding them out to him.

“It’s my hair dye! Right on time!” Sportacus took one of the bottles from her, inspecting it. 

“Are you sure it’s safe? Where did it come from?” he asked, still looking uncertain. 

“I’m sure,” Stephanie assured him. “They came from Robbie- he thinks I don’t know it’s him that brings them, but I saw him the second time,” she said, smiling. But the smile rapidly faded as she looked at the remaining bottle. “Why did he just leave them on the ground? He normally puts them in the mailbox.” 

“He did open it,” Sportacus pointed out, gesturing to the door of the mailbox. 

Stephanie’s eyes widened, and she looked up at Sportacus. “You don’t think he overheard me, do you?” she asked, her tone anxious. “And thought I was talking about him?” 

Sportacus started to look worried. “He might have- if he heard you, he could have jumped to the conclusion that you were.” 

Stephanie gasped. “Oh no! I have to go talk to him, right now!” she rushed off, and Sportacus called out behind her-

“Do you want me to come with you?” 

“No, I have to fix this myself!” she jumped on her bike, pedaling furiously for Robbie’s lair. 

When she arrived, she stopped by the hatch and knocked on the door. 

“Robbie! Robbie, please come up! I need to talk to you!” she was expecting a sharp, /go away!/ Or something similar, but got no response. Heart pounding, she opened the hatch and called out for him again. Still, he didn’t respond. 

She put one leg over the edge, bracing herself against the side. Her fingers brushed against a piece of paper. Confused, she grabbed it and pulled. It came off the side with ease. 

Stepping out of the hatch, she began to read. It was addressed to Sportacus. 

/Sportaloon,/ it began. /I know you’re going to come by eventually, when you don’t see me in town for a while. Because you care or something. Bleh./ Stephanie half smiled at that, but it faded as she kept reading. /Pink girl doesn’t want me around anymore, and if she doesn’t want me around, the others won’t either. So I’m leaving Lazytown. Be sure to tell them I won’t bother them again, because I’m leaving forever./

Your ex-villain,

Robbie Rotten/

heart beginning to race, Stephanie shoved the note in her pocket and jumped on her bike. If she hurried, she could still stop him- the nearest bus station was outside Lazytown. 

She pedaled fast, her legs pumping hard as she sped toward the town border. 

As she rode, she thought back on the times and memories she shared with Robbie. One in particular stood out.

-

_Stephanie winced as Robbie pressed a cold rag to her knee. At first she thought he hadn’t noticed, but then he spoke._

_“You’ll have to deal with a bit of stinging,” he said, his tone gruff. “If I don’t clean it, adding a band-aid will do no good.”_

_Stephanie nodded. “I know,” she said. “The stinging isn’t so bad- it just hurts when you press down on it.” he glanced at her for a second, then offered her his hand._

_“Squeeze when it hurts. I can take it,” he said. “No way your grip is as hard as Sportaloon’s.'' Stephanie giggled despite herself as she took it._

_“He does have a pretty tight handshake,” she admitted, squeezing as Robbie pressed on the scrape._

_“Pretty hard?” He echoed, dabbing at her knee with a dryer part of the cloth. “He popped all of my fingers last time!”_

_“No way!” she gasped. “Really?” Robbie nodded, putting the cloth down._

_“Yep, really. Hurt really bad for a few minutes- I do not recommend it.” he pulled his hand from her grasp, taking a band-aid from the first aid kit he had with him. he opened it, placing it on her knee and smoothing it with his thumbs._

_“There you go, good as new.” he dropped the first aid kit and cloth into his bag he was carrying. “Be more careful next time,” he told her, pulling her to her feet._

_Stephanie nodded. “I will,” she said. She tilted her head. “Hey Robbie, why were you carrying a first aid kit with you?”_

_Robbie flushed. “Well, someone has to take care of you brats when you get minor injuries, and Sportaloon isn’t here. No sense in him coming down just to give you a band-aid and then go back up.” he turned away, his face still red. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a very important nap.”_

_Stephanie smiled at his retreating back, a warm feeling filling her. She vowed to tell the other kids about this. ___

__

__-_ _

__

__Though the memory made her feel happy, Stephanie’s eyes filled with tears at the thought of Robbie being gone forever._ _

__

__/Please don’t leave Robbie,/ she thought. /Lazytown wouldn't be the same without you!/ She had to get to him quick, so she could let him know that. As she pedaled, more memories came to her. She welcomed them, hoping they would motivate her to pedal faster._ _

__

__How Robbie would grumble about having to stay with them during a power outage while Sportacus grabbed flashlights from his airship, but kept them all calm and happy anyway. She and Trixie had even seen him smiling when he thought no one was watching._ _

__

__The assortment of growls he directed at them when they woke him up from a nap, which made her and the others laugh. She suspected this was the point, as they only got more exaggerated as time went by._ _

__

__The jokes he would mumble under his breath, which anyone close enough would be able to hear. Trixie especially loved those- she’d find excuses to stand next to him just so she could hear them._ _

__

__Determination bloomed in her chest, replacing the fear and sadness. Robbie was a key part of her life- he’d helped her grow as a person, and been there when she needed to talk. Her legs were starting to get sore, but she ignored them and kept going. She wasn’t going to just let him go! She had to show him what he meant to her._ _

__

__/To all of us,/ she corrected herself. After all, it wasn’t just her that formed a bond with him._ _

__

__He let Pixel study the soccer bot, and helped him out with his own creations some of the time. He told Trixie about a game he played- kick the can. It had become a hit among them all. He joined in on the tea parties they threw, even bringing actual crumpets for them (which Ziggy loved)! And once, when they were camping with Sportacus, he had come by and told them a story before they all went to bed for the night. All of her friends loved that, she could tell._ _

__

__When they were all in there sleeping bags, everyone asleep but her, she’d heard Robbie tell Sportacus that that he’d only done told the story so they’d stop making noise, but she knew it wasn’t true. Robbie cared about them just as much as they cared for him._ _

__

__And that- that was the reason she couldn’t let him go._ _

__

__Not too far ahead of her, a familiar figure was walking ahead. Hope soared in her chest. She wasn’t too late!_ _

__

__“Robbie!” she cried. He spun around, his eyes widening._ _

__

__“Pink girl?”_ _

__

__“Robbie, I need to talk to you!” his eyes widened in alarm, but she barely noticed. She just knew she had to get to him._ _

__

__So when her front wheel hit a puddle, she wasn’t prepared for it to sink in and stop the bike. Everything happened so fast- she was flipping over the handlebars, with barely any time to close her eyes or brace herself against the impact, and then she was crashing into Robbie. He caught her as he fell back, holding her close to him._ _

__

__They laid there for a moment, both a little too shaky to stand just yet. Robbie recovered before she did, sitting up and setting her on her knees. He held her shoulders, looking her up and down._ _

__

__“Are you hurt?” he asked, worry lacing his tone. She shook her head._ _

__

__“No, I’m okay.” he sighed in relief._ _

__

__“Good. Now, what are you doing here?!” Stephanie didn’t flinch, meeting his gaze steadily._ _

__

__“I’m coming to get you, and bring you back home to Lazytown.” he frowned, turning away._ _

__

__“No. I’m not coming back.” Stephanie grabbed his wrist, stopping him from walking away._ _

__

__“Please, let me explain,” she begged, her voice wavering. Had she come all the way out here only for Robbie to ignore her?_ _

__

__His shoulders tense, Robbie turned back to face her. “Explain what?” he asked quietly. “That you don’t want me in Lazytown? I know. I heard you.” Stephanie shook her head adamantly._ _

__

__“No! I wasn’t talking about you, I was talking about a squirrel that got in my room,” she said, rushing and stumbling over her words. “He lives in a tree in my yard, and he’s getting annoying.” she flushed. “It all sounds a little silly now- but I promise, that’s what I was talking about! We don’t want you to leave, Robbie!” she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his side. “Please don’t leave,” she said, her voice muffled. “I’ll miss you too much.”_ _

__

__“Squirrel…?” Robbie blinked, trying to comprehend the rapid spew of words. When he’d pieced them together, he returned her hug, kneeling down so they were more even. “Wish I knew that before I walked all the way out here,” he whispered. Stephanie giggled, pulling back and wiping at her eyes._ _

__

__“So do I,” she said. She rubbed at her legs, wincing. “My legs are really sore- I didn’t think about how far the border really was. I just wanted to catch you.”_ _

__

__Robbie smirked. “You know, if you were more lazy like me, you would have gotten your uncle to drive you,” he teased. Stephanie smiled. That was the Robbie she knew and loved._ _

__

__“It was good exercise,” she said cheerfully. “Even if I’m a little sore, it’s worth it.” Robbie rolled his eyes playfully. “You sound just like Sportaloon.”_ _

__

__“I’ll take that as a compliment!” she said cheerfully as a shadow fell over them. They both looked up, and were met with the site of a very familiar airship._ _

__

__“Robbie!” Sportacus shouted happily as he dropped down beside them. “You’re still here!”_ _

__

__“Yep- pink girl here managed to convince me not to leave.” Robbie ruffled Stephanie ’s hair, and she batted his hand away with a giggle. Sportacus beamed._ _

__

__“That’s great!” he gestured to his airship. “Let me take you back to Lazytown- the other kids are waiting for you.” Robbie took a step back._ _

__

__“I’m not getting on your death blimp,” he said, eyeing the airship warily. Stephanie grabbed his hand._ _

__

__“It’ll be okay Robbie,” she said comfortingly. “Sportacus won’t let anything happen to us!”_ _

__

__“That’s right,” Sportacus agreed. He took Robbie’s other hand and squeezed it lightly. He looked up at the airship, calling out “ladder!” when it fell down beside them, he took Robbie’s hand (still clasped in his own) and placed it on the ladder. He smiled reassuringly. “If you fall, I’ll catch you,” he promised. “Do you think you can climb up?” Robbie looked at the ladder, still seeming hesitant, but nodded._ _

__

__He began climbing- albeit slowly- and Stephanie followed. Once the three of them and Stephanie ’s bike were inside, Sportacus closed the hatch and yelled, “ship, turn on autopilot and head for Lazytown.” When the ship began following his instructions, he turned to face Robbie and Stephanie . “You two worked things out?” he asked. Stephanie nodded._ _

__

__“I explained everything,” she assured him._ _

__

__“Good,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “Because I have a list of threats from Trixie that I’m supposed to give you ever try to leave again, and I’d rather not have to use them.” Stephanie laughed._ _

__

__“I think we’re safe,” she said. “No more misunderstandings after this!”_ _

__

__“No,” Robbie agreed. He looked at Stephanie . “I just have one question- how did you realize so quickly? I didn’t expect Sportacus to find that note for at least a week, if not longer.”_ _

__

__“Easy, I saw the hair dye on the ground instead of in the mailbox.” her eyes sparkled. “I know it's from you, Robbie.” she gave him another hug. “Thank you, by the way- I never got to thank you before.”_ _

__

__Blushing, he patted her on the back. “It’s no big deal,” he said. “Besides, the first time you ran out, you became an antisocial shut in. And that’s my job.” Stephanie giggled at that, loosening her grip but not stepping back. Robbie smiled at her fondly until he noticed Sportacus staring._ _

__

__The hero’s eyes were sparkling, and he was bouncing on his toes. Robbie raised an eyebrow._ _

__

__“What are you looking at?” he asked, keeping one arm around Stephanie and placing the other on his hip._ _

__

__“Nothing, nothing,” he said, still smiling. Stephanie leaned forward._ _

__

__“You want to join the hug too?” she asked, smiling knowingly. Sportacus grinned, and that was the only warning Robbie got before he was squished from both sides._ _

__

__He yelped at the sudden contact, but didn’t object. If anyone asked he would deny it, but being squeezed between Stephanie and Sportacus was actually… nice._ _

__

__“We have arrived at your destination,” the ship said, and Robbie smiled. They were back home, in Lazytown. Where he belonged._ _

**Author's Note:**

> I looked, but I couldn’t find the person who came up with the idea that Robbie gave Stephanie her hair dye when she ran out. Just know that it wasn’t me, and if you know who that was, please let me know so I can credit them!
> 
> Also, if its possible to put in more than one line of italics (separated) please tell me because I don't know how.


End file.
